Tanya Fermin: Press/Reviews

Packaged together neatly in a nicely tucked “Special Invitation” folder, one would almost be surprised to find what’s in store inside. What we have here is a delectable array of R&B and smooth jazz numbers. Tanya Fermin’s voice is able to conjure up the legends of Aretha Franklin and Anita Baker seemingly without effort. It should be no surprise then that her voice has found her trophy case filled with regional awards with the apex of New York State School Music Association’s award. Smooth as chocolate and absolute liquid transitions from R&B to jazz to soul. Not a sound typically associated with Northern California, Fermin’s “Special Invitation” is one to grasp onto especially if you’re lucky enough to get an invitation to her “invitation only” CD release party!

Tanya Fermin wants to give you a Special Invitation to her world. She lets you in by making her way through 12 tracks of sweet soul, rhythm and blues and jazz. Her voice is rich and deep with expressiveness and those aspects come through beautifully on every track on her new album.

“What I Miss Most” is sprinkled with jazz via the smooth tones of the saxophone and the in-the-backseat-groove of the bass while “Your Love Looks Good on Me” features a calypso-reggae atmosphere, as her sensual voice invites you to her island paradise. The soulful and moving “Live the Lie,” digs down deep into the shadows of a remorseful person just dying to change, giving the listener a thing or two to think about lyrically while the music keeps you in an endless chill out of musical bliss. This is the kind of variety found on this recording. Her voice is so flexible and strong that it could adapt to any genre of music without difficulty.

I enjoyed the interplay of jazz elements more than anything I heard because she intelligently mixed that genre with the others to form a special blend of style and sound all her own. “When I Get Home,” the lead off track is the obvious track for a single. There are a few songs on the CD that would be a good choice, however in my opinion, if you were to work a single to break your way into the charts this would be the one. The end of the CD sneaks in a bonus acoustic version of “Live the Lie,” which gives a stunning representation of her vocal prowess. This excellent album is a shoe in for a cross over success into the areas the pop, jazz and soul dominions. Although the R & B is the foundation from which she builds her musical house, there are many floors to explore, and you can take the stairs or the elevator, your choice. When this CD was over, I was floating on the clouds, and transportation was not necessary to reach the level I wanted to be on...you catch my drift?

September 20, 3005-- San Francisco, CA--R & B and Jazz vocalist Tanya Fermin does not need a Special Invitation to extend a hand to her brothers and sisters in need. Fermin, as well many artists worldwide, have offered their music as a way of generating funds for the folks that have suffered from the devastating effects of hurricane Katrina.

Teamed with the incredibly successful CD Baby to market her latest release Special Invitation, Tanya is taking all the proceeds from the sales of the CD for one month and putting it in a fund for the victims of the hurricane. CD Baby plays a major role in the success of this by e-mailing millions of customers to make them aware of the offer.

There is no other place in the world like the United States and our humanity is our guiding light in times of need. The power of the media does not always have to be negative, we can use it for good things, and this is a perfect example. When disaster strikes, our good will comes to the surface very quickly because we all are compassionate and loving beings. The power of marketing and the best tool of all, the Internet, are making the raising of funds seamless and tremendously effective.

In good times and bad, we turn to music to ease the pain. We are thankful for artists that believe their art is not only a way to communicate with others, it’s an influential instrument that allows us to join together, use all our talents, and help to turn the ravages of a disaster into a more manageable situation for all affected.